Stereotypical Silicon Valley look caters to the rich
By Ysabelle Punzal, Sequoia High School
March 21, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
From Airpods and Hydroflasks to North Face and Patagonia, the Silicon Valley lifestyle is evident in the halls and in the classroom. Many students in the Bay Area are seen sporting this look, flexing their $400 Apple watches and $100 North Face backpacks. This lifestyle is known for being fun and...
Outside the binary: An interview with Lachlan Watson, part one
By Abby Lee, Wakefield High School
March 20, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Netflix’s original show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was released on October 26 and has since been regarded with critical praise. One aspect of the show that is rapidly gaining national attention is the story of Susie Putnam, a genderqueer character portrayed by 17-year-old non-binary actor,...
“Captain Marvel” impresses and disappoints as a superhero film
By Edward Keen, West High School
March 20, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
If there are a few things that viewers have readily come to expect from every new Marvel Studios film that makes its way into theaters, they are consistent entertainment value, boundless mesmerizing thrills and cogent main characters to lead and possibly pave the way for more films in their wake. The f...
New Boots: Florida Georgia Line
By Mackenzie Gonzales, Millard West High School
March 19, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Country music has come a long way from where it began with its simple bluegrass roots. Most of today’s modern country has come to adopt a more pop like sound coupled with good ol’ country values. To those who don’t like country music might think the genre is just about women, beers, hunting and...
Mel’s Commonwealth Cafe: a neighborhood meeting place
By Joyce Wu and Allie Nunn
March 19, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
You step into the cafe, the aroma of sizzling bacon and freshly grilled pancakes wafting towards the door. To the left, an array of various muffins and assorted pastries sits in a glass case. You notice the checkered pattern on the walls and the cheerful buzz that occupies the dining area. The hostess...
Playing the rhythm to his heart
By Edna Hernandez, Lewisville High School
March 18, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
He moves his fingers gracefully across the piano while feeling the rhythm through his veins. The audience awes at his perfect execution of the song. He stands up from his piano and bows to the crowd with a gigantic smile across his face. He is pleased and touched by warmth in his heart seeing the audience...
Movie Review: Captain Marvel
By Anna Henning, Fossil Ridge High School
March 18, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Since 2008, Marvel Studios has been creating superhero films that have captivated the world. Over twenty films have been made in the same cinematic universe, and, for the first time, the main hero is a woman. She is not the supporting character, she is not the love interest; she is Captain Marvel, and s...
Netflix’s ‘Umbrella Academy’ is equally weird and wonderful: Review
By Alex Jowanovitz, Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio
March 18, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Surprise! Streaming juggernaut Netflix has another hit on their hands. After recently offing all of their original Marvel programming (including "Daredevil" and "The Punisher"), the platform has debuted another superhero series that is, admittedly, pretty crazy. Based on the Dark Horse comic series...
Coppell’s newest tradition: STEM seniors introducing podcast
By Ryan Dyke, Coppell High School
March 18, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Podcasting is a rising form of media consumption, and now it has spread to Coppell High School. In CHS engineering teacher Mike Yakubovsky’s Engineering IV class, three CHS seniors, Paola Iseley, Alexander Gross and Travis Peek, were selected to be the leads of That Engineering Podcast. “I have f...
Higher, further,…flatter? How Captain Marvel became Marvel’s most divisive film
By Ashu Ebot-Tabi, North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia
March 18, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Against all the odds, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) managed to transition from an up-and-coming movie series to the most popular media franchise in the history of mankind. That may sound like an over-exaggeration aimed to prop up the series. In all fairness, truth supports that statement: in terms...
Meet those dancing feet
By Olivia Watts, McCallum High School
March 12, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Almost a month after MacTheatre closed its production of 42nd Street, the cast and crew are still reaping the rewards from their sold out musical. Tuesday morning, members from the cast and crew of 42nd Street headed to the Long Center to attend the Greater Austin High School Musical Theatre Awards no...
Tap Dancer Named Finalist in National YoungArts Competition
By Kailin Zhang and Jadynne Watts
March 12, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
The phone was ringing. The caller ID spelled out Miami, Fla. Addi Loving, junior, was in rehearsal for the school musical, “Into the Woods,” when she first got the call. Although she couldn’t initially answer, after searching up the number online, Loving confirmed the number was from the...
Meet Dudeo Perez, the local band inspired by a childhood alter ego
By Jocelyn Brossia, Foothill Technology High School
March 12, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
When we met in the dimly-lit Bombay Bar & Grill before their performance on Jan. 27, each member of Dudeo Perez was dressed casually with laid-back smiles plastered on their faces. They exuded passion and excitement. The band was supposed to go on at 7, but when we met minutes before the clock s...
Isn’t It Romantic
By Mari Mendivil, Cannon Falls High School
March 12, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Rachel McAdams is the queen of romance. Her heart throbbing performances on screen and in films, The Notebook, About Time, and The Vow, are some of my favorites. Ten year old me dreamed of the thought of romantic stories and tales such as Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel. I owned every princess movie and w...
Loot Boxes Are Taking a Toll On the Gaming Community
By Drew Winkler, Sage Creek High School
March 12, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
In the early days of video games, it was a simpler time, a time where you would buy a game and the full finished game would come with it virtually bug-free with no future updates and most importantly, no loot boxes. You would have to earn or grind your way to new weapons or cosmetics. Nowadays, loot...
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
By Adam Goldstick, A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts
March 10, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Over 62,000 LEDs light up the brilliant mind of Christopher Boone as he investigates the murder of his neighbor’s dead dog as well as the mysteries within his own family. “The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time” opened Feb. 22 in Meyer Hall and continues through March 2. The plot...
New Event takes place of beloved Mr. Mustang
By Claire Chu, Monte Vista High School
March 9, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
The 12-year streak of Monte Vista’s Mr. Mustang tradition ended last year. The student body pushed for the return of the annual competition, but a new event will inaugurate in March. Typically hosted in late February, Mr. Mustang is a contest that crowns the most talented, funny, and stylish male...
Taking a chance on “Mamma Mia!”
By Preston Rolls, James Bowie High School
March 8, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Bright neon colors of the dance floor glint off sequin-coated costumes, captivating the audience. The lights come up and the music swells as cast members scramble into position for the Starlight Theatre Company’s (STC) 2019 musical production, "Mamma Mia!". After the release of the three different cast lists at the end of November, the STC took to the stage, rehearsing five days a week. ...
“You” stalks Netflix and attracts widespread viewer attention
By Ritika Sabharwal, Dougherty Valley High School
March 7, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble’s recent television show “You” aired on Netflix Dec. 26, 2018, immediately gaining popularity despite its troubling and sinister plot. Although it is based upon a love story, one can’t ignore its creepy and disturbing scenes that depict stalking to an extreme level. ...
Who Is the best Migo?
By Jack Burgasser '19, Elder High School
March 7, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
The Migos are a very well-known rap collective out of north Atlanta, they have become some of the biggest names in the genre over the past few years. For years the Migos were dropping projects annually with some minor mainstream attention with their 2014 release No Label II, they had some songs like “Fig...
Sophomore composes musical, plays five instruments
By Samantha Klepfer, St. Louis Park High School
March 5, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
According to sophomore Amara Foner, she has been learning music since she was 4 years old. “I play piano, cello, flute, viola and ocarina. I’ve been playing piano since I was 4, and I was 9 when I started cello,” Foner said. “I was 11 when I started flute; I started viola last year, and I...
Young local author publishes a book about being ‘Unwanted’
By Alefiyah Vahanvaty, Stroudsburg High School
February 27, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
It’s an early Saturday morning, and Pappa and Donel Wheeler are eating hash browns and drinking a warm cup of coffee in a small quaint house in Texas. Later during the day, they walk down to a nearby lake to look for gold coins. “Spending time with my great grandfather by the lake is one of my...
Ending the glorification of toxic romance in media
By Pramika Kadari, Coppell High School
February 27, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
While I am an avid reader, it may seem like I do not enjoy romance-centered stories, whether it be in the form of books, films or shows. I criticize many of them because a slew of fictional relationships, if not simply unrealistic, are abhorrently toxic. Reading the Twilight saga by Ste...
Mott wins big at local writing competition
By Deeya Prakash, Sycamore High School in Cincinnati, Ohio
February 27, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
An avid reader. An aspiring author. A medical drama enthusiast. A baker. These are all phrases that can be used to describe a student at SHS. And now, the word "champion" can be added to the list. Freshman Katie Mott was recently named the winner of the Montgomery Woman’s Club writing contes...
Video Games: not just for kids
By Will Brown, Walt Whitman High School
February 27, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
When thinking of great stories, the minds of some people jump to classic books like “The Catcher in the Rye,” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Slaughterhouse-Five,” arguing that they are the heart and soul of American culture; others think of more recent movies and TV shows such as “Breaking...
‘Voices’ showcased its latest work of six documentary films
By Caleb Stipkovits, South High School
February 27, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
The students from the class Voices showcased their latest work last Tuesday night. The result? Six creative films, varying from the topics of the Minneapolis homeless encampment ‘tent city’ to the history of censorship of youth speech. The class has two big projects due at the end of each quarter:...
Liu in China
By Richard Cheng, Clayton High School
February 26, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
Most Clayton High School students might spend their summer at camps, relaxing at home or on vacation. Some select, highly-motivated kids might even get a jump start on their summer homework before the first weeks of August. For Cynthia Liu, her summer culminated in a final singing performance hosted...
“Alita: Battle Angel” delivers breathtaking cyberpunk spectacle
By Edward Keen, West High School
February 26, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
When one considers the great directors of Hollywood who revolutionized the world of filmmaking, James Cameron is a name that will be more than likely to pop up in a high position on the list. For the past couple decades he has tinkered with a wide margin of films, from “Terminator” to “Titanic” a...
Bandersnatch starts a media revolution
By Savannah Anderson, Plano Senior High School
February 26, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
From books to videos to television, the idea of the viewer being given the ability to choose the fate of the main characters has gotten very popular with the release of Netflix’s Bandersnatch. Choose Your Own Adventure is pretty self-explanatory, the term is usually trademarked in the book series, ...
Freshman Grace Eschbach feeds passion for music through concert-going experiences
By Brinda Ambal, Parkway West High School
February 25, 2019
Filed under Arts & Entertainment
The lights suddenly turn off. The stadium settles into a bated silence. The countdown pops up on the vast display and freshman Grace Eschbach finds herself caught up in the wave of anticipation riding high around the venue. “You can feel the energy changing as soon as the countdown comes up,”...